There may be a slight pitch difference, but I don't actively study pitch, I only try to acquire it by mimicking Japanese as closely as possible.

This isn't a huge problem for mixing the verbs up, since the context alone should show that you are saying an inanimate object exists, rather than you are "meeting" this inanimate object. The same is true the other way around, you probably wouldn't use the inanimate "exists" verb when you are meeting someone.

Most homonyms are clear from context like this, though it can get tricky sometimes

Dustin wrote:..... Most homonyms are clear from context like this, though it can get tricky sometimes

It seems to me that a lot of English speakers stress over homonyms in Japanese yet English is full of homophones. Many Japanese homonyms are only such when written in kana because kana is phonetic, eg あった. If written using kanji they are often homophones, eg あった and 会った.

In English conversation most native speakers have little trouble telling the difference between the homophones "to", "two" and "too" or "there", "their" and "they're".

I don't know about damkay-san's native language though.

.... There may be a slight pitch difference, but I don't actively study pitch .....

I'm the same. While I don't yet pick up on pitch accent I am yet to confuse chopsticks (箸) with a bridge (橋) when being offered hashi (はし) in a restaurant.

Don't complain to me that people kick you when you're down. It's your own fault for lying there